I think Ryan Stone will end up being our 13th forward this year and may push Kennedy or Godard for playing time. I believe that Godard is capable of being an every game player, although with limited minutes. I thought that he looked like a better skater than BGL yesterday, and still maintained good control of the puck down low, ala BGL as well. Throw in the fact that he will undoubtedly get into more scraps than Big Georges and in the end, Godard may be more valuable for this team.

KG wrote:Taffe/Kennedy/Godard is the 4th line opening day. My prediction. Then I see Stone filling in for Godard who won't play every game...

Based on what Jesse said about Taffe from yesterday (invisible, appeared out of shape, etc), I could see Beech earning the fourth line center spot over him. Beech has more size and strength, and that would make the fourth line a bit more traditional. Either way, the fourth line is the fourth line, and both players won't make that big of a difference one way or another.

I'd like to see Stone, Goddard, and Kennedy. I hate Kennedy on the third line though. He has a little shake n bake and needs some playing time. I'd throw Kennedy up with Sid at the first sign of Dupius slacking off.

I liked Taffe last year, but if he's outta shape then maybe he'd be better starting in WBS. Wow! This year had so many possibilities. I think Malkin-Staal-Sykora are going to rip teams apart! I'd like to see Pensonen make it too, but only if he earns it, cause that will mean he would really improve the team. The only "ugh" on the roster is Dupius on the top line. He doesn't belong there. I don't like him there, but I don't really see another possibility.

Coming into camp, the 4 (or 5) spots basically look like they are open to:

Kennedy, Taffe, Godard, Stone, Beech, Filewich, Thomas, Pesonen

Kennedy, Taffe, and Godard are pretty much guaranteed, it's a safe bet to assume stone will be here in pittsburgh, strictly because he'd be claimed off waivers if we sent him down, and i think if we carry 14 forwards Beech will be here

Pesonen should and most likely will start out in WBS, Thomas will start out in WBS and be a callup, Filewich's days in pittsburgh are numbered

I'm not confident in Beech or Taffe as a fourth-line center for 82 games. Taffe is good in spots, but not over stretches. With the way Jesse says the young defensemen are playing, maybe the Pens move a defenseman to get a fourth-line center if the Pens choose not to pluck one off the streets.

cs6687 wrote:I'm not confident in Beech or Taffe as a fourth-line center for 82 games. Taffe is good in spots, but not over stretches. With the way Jesse says the young defensemen are playing, maybe the Pens move a defenseman to get a fourth-line center if the Pens choose not to pluck one off the streets.

I don't see the need for that. With the quality of our first two lines (and now third), because of available ice time, the 4th line really just needs to be made up of capable, NHL calibre bodies, which the Pens definitely have enough of. Kennedy's a lock. Then you've got Taffe, Beech, Godard, Pesonen, Thomas, and Stone to compete for the final two spots (plus a possible Caputi and/or Jeffrey callup for a couple games). That's about as capable as you need your 4th line to be, especially with the heavy minutes the first two lines should (and most likely will) be getting.

I don't see it as a need either. There's a lot of talk about getting a faceoff specialist but what role does that guy really serve? He's going to take a handful of faceoffs ES; that's not going to make a difference. I don't see any forwards fitting on the PK. Staal, Talbot, and Dupuis were three of the top four PK forwards during the playoff run. Hall's the only one that didn't come back. Cooke is a good PK'er. Crosby and Malkin both should and likely will get increased PK time. They're already six deep on the PK.

It doesn't look so good for Stone with him being held out of the scrimmage today. Hopefully for him, he takes that to heart because he may be blowing his big chance. I'm surprised to hear so many people praising Beech. I actually thought he looked pretty sharp too, at least during the drills.

This isn't directed at anyone here, but I'm of the opinion that Kris Beech could have the camp of his lifetime and there will still be those that believe he has no business on an NHL roster, simply because he was the main guy that came back in the Jagr deal and he never lived up to the scouting reports. Just because many scouts were off on him doesn't mean he can't fill a role on a team.

The really funny thing about it is that he and Taffe have some things in common. Both were 1st round picks, though Beech went much higher in his year. Relative to expectations from their draft years, both have been disappointments and have struggled to nail down a regular NHL roster spot. Their production, in both the NHL and AHL, is similar. Yet, there are people out there that will talk up Taffe and tell you Beech is worthless at the same time. Go figure.

Beech looked OK.Stone looked good, but didn't see him much on there.Pesonen was very underwhelming.Godard seems like he can actually skate.I love Fedotenko, Lovejoy, and Richmond. They stand out on the videos to me.

I find myself not caring as much about the 4th line as I normally do. The top 3 lines all have very capable NHL players and should account for basically the entire game. Any of the players that don't have a roster spot locked up can play along with Godard and be fine.

cs6687 wrote:I'm not confident in Beech or Taffe as a fourth-line center for 82 games. Taffe is good in spots, but not over stretches. With the way Jesse says the young defensemen are playing, maybe the Pens move a defenseman to get a fourth-line center if the Pens choose not to pluck one off the streets.

cs6687 wrote:I'm not confident in Beech or Taffe as a fourth-line center for 82 games. Taffe is good in spots, but not over stretches. With the way Jesse says the young defensemen are playing, maybe the Pens move a defenseman to get a fourth-line center if the Pens choose not to pluck one off the streets.

A Defenseman as a center, this isn't peewee hockey.

umm I believe he meant move one as in trade a young defenseman for a fourth-line center

Kennedy is a lock for that RW spot ont he 4th line, he came to camp looking to keep his roster spot and you can see he worked hard all summer. Then I see Taffe and Beech fighting it out for center and Godard playing the slower teams who have legit heavyweigths swapping out for Stone when we need more agitation and a middleweight.

I hate to say it but Pesonen just doesn't fit right now, which isn't necesarily bad looking back over the last decade he'd be a top line player on almost any other Pens team, and it would also be a waste to have him play a few minutes a night. Since he is waiver-exempt it makes more sense to have him down in WBS polishing his NA game. There will always be injuries so he'll get his chance.

I don't think it matters who the 4th line center is. It's going to be someone who plays probably less than eight minutes a game and entirely on ES. All you need is a warm body with a pulse like Taffe. It's a minor need they might want to address at the deadline, but it's not going to make any difference in the regular season.

With the top 9 forwards set, it seems five NHL roster spots are up for grabs. The whole fourth line and two extra forwards.

To start the season, I think it will work out to be:Pesonen - Beech - GodardEx: Taffe - Kennedy

No brainer for Godard. They got him for a reason.

I think they will keep Pesonen for the sake of Satan-or-Sykora injury insurance. And since the games start in Europe, I think would be a good way to continue getting him adjusted to the team.

I think Beech may get more time than Taffe just because of Beech's all-around skill and control of the puck. In an instance of back-to-back powerplays, I wouldn't mind seeing Beech and Pesonen out there with another forward like Fedotenko, Talbot, or Cooke to get the front of the net. I think we could also see some of Taffe - Beech - Godard against the rougher teams like Philly. I personally like Taffe better on the wing.

I think Kennedy has shored up his one flaw: conditioning. He has not stopped skating since camp began and hasn't looked tired yet. He should get in the lineup against the teams with no heavyweights, when Godard sits.

Thomas and Stone haven't hurt their chances, but I think the five above are putting a good stranglehold on those spots. If Pesonen has some bumps two months in, I think Stone could get his spot. If the injury bug hits, Thomas should get a chance. Luckily, the Pens may be able to send down Thomas, Stone, and Filewich without other teams picking them since Tampa Bay will be flooding the waiver wire with better players before the season starts.

I don't know why folks are saying those lines are set. this is coach Therrien we're talking about. I predict he will shuffle the lines and that the end result will eventually (maybe January) come back to these.

as far as the fourth line goes, I gotta go with Stone-Taffe-Godard/Kennedy